In order to combat the spread of germs and prevent infection in infants, it is common to sterilise various items such as baby pacifiers and bottle teats prior to use. This is often accomplished by bathing the items to be sterilised in a disinfectant liquid for a period of time. This requires a certain degree of preparation and planning to ensure a steady supply of sterilised items.
It is known to provide steriliser assemblies for use in microwaves. In general, a steriliser assembly comprises a closed container to hold the items to be sterilised. A portion of water is deposited in the base. The steriliser assembly is then passed through a microwave, which converts the contained water to steam at high temperatures, resulting in steam sterilisation of the contained items.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,776 discloses such a steam steriliser for use in a microwave. However, space is limited in the disclosed configuration, and the steam valve used may result in harmful burns to a user of the device.
It is an object of the invention to provide a steriliser device that overcomes the above problems.